WE SURE DIDN’T KNOW WHERE YOUTH MINISTRY OR OUR LITTLE COMPANY WAS HEADED. ALL WE KNEW WAS THAT GOD WAS SOMEHOW INVITING US INTO THIS THING. IT’S BEEN A WILD RIDE—AND ONE THAT I HOPE CONTINUES FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.
- MIKE YACONELLI, CO-FOUNDER OF YS

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6 Signs You’re An Immature Leader

We all need to grow in leadership. It’s something you will never arrive at. It’s something that will keep on molding and growing and adjusting and morphing.

I wanted to list some symptoms of things maybe an immature leader might think (all of which I have thought or am now struggling with at the moment) in hopes to challenge and convict is to continue to grow as leaders.

You think your idea is always the right one. If you think your ideas are the only ones worth while, you might be intimidated that you are not the smartest or most creative person in the room. Truth, you NEED people who think different and who have better thoughts than you to keep getting better.

You take too long to make a decision you know if right for your ministry. God has you where you are at for a reason. He has allowed you to be in leadership and make the calls to better your ministry. But you are/have not pulling the trigger on a decision that you know is right because you might be afraid of what people will think.

You want to make everyone happy. This one ties into the last one but someone who needs to grow needs to understand as a leader it’s nearly impossible to make everyone happy. Once you know this, it’s so freeing.

You look at the other ministries in your area as competition. They are taking your kids. You are taking theirs. It’s them and us. The moment you can be friends with and work together in ministry and realize your ministry cannot and will not reach every student in your area, the better you will be off. I love when a student who I have not seen in a while tell me they go to the church down the street and I can genuinely say, “Oh that’s awesome. I love Cody. Tell him I say hi. That’s a great ministry glad you got plugged in there.”

You think everything upper leadership is deciding is wrong but you know what the answer is. If you are not careful, this one can get you in trouble. You know what makes you think like this? Straight up pride. We are called to our position yes, but we are called under the leadership of our church.

You think your strength is enough. If you want to know my biggest one I struggle with. It’s this one. I’m a doer. I work, probably too much some times. But I pride myself on good ideas and getting stuff done. I have to remind myself to bring God into what I’m doing. Not only bring Him in, but have Him take lead. The truth is, if God is not where I am going, then I don’t want to go there. Leaders who think they can do it on their own will be able to go for a while, but not for the long haul.

**This post was originally on the Download Youth Ministry blog.

Justin Knowles has been a pastor for the last 10 years and is the Lead Student Ministries Pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley in San Dimas, CA. He oversees 7th-12th grade and has an amazing team he does it all with. He hosts The Other Student Ministry Podcast, loves to write about his ministry journey and teach at all kinds of camps. Him and his wife Kristin has a baby boy named Graham and a cat named CATalie Portman. @JUSTINKNOWLES3

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the YS Blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of YS.